Questions in the Maternal and Child Health Forum have been answered by doctors from Henry Ford Health System.

Question Title: Breastfeeding and periods

Forum: The Maternal and Child Health Forum
Topic: Breast Feeding


I have been breastfeeding for about 10 months and I just had what I thought was a period although it did not seem normal at all. It had very little blood and a lot of brown spotting with a bunch of junk in it, which lasted about 5 days. Is this normal for not having had a period for so long? I had a ruptured tubal pregnancy 2 1\2 years ago and I had it when I was also breastfeeding. Could this be a sign of another tubal pregnancy? Please help!!!!



Dear Marsha:
The return of menstrual periods after pregnancy, whether breast feeding or not, can be different from menses in an established cycle. Brown color indicates only that the rate of flow is slow enough that the red color is changed by the acidity of the vagina.
an ectopic pregnancy is associated with pain and other symptoms of pregnancy along with a positive pregnancy test. Anyone woman who has had an ectopic pregnancy and is concerned about a second occurrence should contact her physician.

Keywords:brown color menses, breast feeding, ectopic pregnancy

This ifnormation is provided for education purposes and is not a medical cosultation. If you have specific questons, please seak with your physician.


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